EXECUTIVE ORDER
08-18

WHEREAS, the Director of the State Emergency Management Agency has advised me that severe storms associated with tornados and high winds have impacted communities in Missouri; and
WHEREAS, the severe weather on May 10 and 11, 2008, and continuing, has created a condition of distress and hazard to the safety, welfare, and property of the citizens of the state of Missouri beyond the capabilities of some local and other established agencies; and

WHEREAS, the citizens and communities of Missouri are still recovering from the effects of the January, February, and March 2008 major disasters; and

WHEREAS, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is charged by law with protecting and enhancing the quality of Missouri's environment and with enforcing a variety of environmental rules and regulations; and

WHEREAS, in order to respond to the emergency and to expedite the cleanup and recovery process, it is necessary to adjust certain environmental rules and regulations on a temporary and short-term basis.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, MATT BLUNT, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Chapter 44, RSMo, do hereby issue the following order:

The Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is vested with full discretionary authority to temporarily waive or suspend the operation of any statutory or administrative rule or regulation currently in place under his purview in order to best serve the interests of the public health and safety during the period of the emergency and the subsequent recovery period.

This order shall terminate on June 30, 2008, unless extended in whole or in part.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, in the City of Jefferson, on this 13th day of May, 2008